


Don't Sleep Circus Guy

by TheGhostMask



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), DC Extended Universe, DCeased (DC Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Decisions, Character Death, Descent into Madness, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, Helpful Donna Troy, Hurt Jason Todd, Jason Todd is Bad at Feelings, Jason Todd is Red Hood, JayDick Week, M/M, Mentioned Tim Drake, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Protective Dick Grayson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:12:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29603658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGhostMask/pseuds/TheGhostMask
Summary: Jason and Dick had never been close, but it was that night that changed everything in the way he least expected. It seemed like the world was conspiring against Jason so that his plans wouldn't work.No matter what happened, misfortune always followed Jason.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	Don't Sleep Circus Guy

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story in English, I am practicing my grammar and I decided to join Ao3 to improve my writing, I apologize for the mistakes that the story may have, I would be grateful if you could give me your advice to improve my writing :)
> 
> I published this Oneshot in Wattpad and later here in Spanish to participate in a challenge in a Facebook page "Es de Fanfics". The limit was 2000 words, but I really liked the idea and decided to extend the oneshot and publish it in English.
> 
> Without more to say, enjoy the reading :)

“Don’t sleep”. Red Hood warns as he lets out a heavy sigh.

“Jason ....”. He lets out a groan while leaning his head more on Jason's shoulder.

“Don't go to sleep, circus guy". He insists.

Nightwing lets out a light chuckle.

“It's been a long time since I've heard that nickname". He says softly as he struggles to keep his eyes closed, but at this point it's too difficult.

Hearing another gunshot, Jason quickens his pace.

“Shit..." .He manages to whisper before trying to accommodate Dick, still carrying him.

Jason had made an incredible effort to pick Dick up and carry him on his back when things started to get out of control.

Although he wasn't sure if he had been in control of the situation from the beginning.

The plan was simple: He would arrive with the capos to take over the arms trade, intimidate them if they declined the offer and force them to work for him. It would be another low blow for Black Mask. Too bad that at the meeting he had to interrupt, there were four hitmen Black Mask had hired to take Red Hood down once and for all.

Perhaps Red Hood had already pushed him over the edge with his continued attacks on his business.

“Jason put me down..." He asks as he loosens his grip on Jason's neck.

“I'm not leaving you here". He replies firmly as He holds his legs tightly.

“We're not getting anywhere and you know it...put me down...". He lets go slightly with the intention of getting Jason to let him go.

Red Hood staggers a bit but manages to keep his balance so that they both don't fall to the ground flat.

Finally he sighs and tries to lean against a wall of the alley, taking care not to hurt Nightwing. With his legs still shaking he slowly lowers Dick down onto the ground making sure to lean him against the wall as he sits down in front of him. That wasn't the best hiding place he could have found but it was all they had. Gunshots could be heard in the distance but he knew they would find them at any moment.

They were finished.

“So..." Nightwing begins to say, placing a hand on his abdomen, "It didn't go as you expected," he smiles at the end as he lets out a sigh.

Red Hood looks up at Nightwing and can't help but grimace slightly. The wound where Dick was trying to apply pressure to no avail had spread further than his suit was turning a strong shade of crimson. Dick needed help and soon.

“You weren't supposed to be here." He says avoiding talking about how his plan had failed.

“I was nearby, I thought I could help." He says quietly but audibly to Jason.

“You thought wrong." He replies as he puts some pressure on his leg where the bullet had hit.

Despite being wounded, he managed to get Nightwing out of there.

“You know, Bruce would have been upset if someone got killed." He replies.

“I don't care what Bruce thinks" He says dryly.

“And what do I think?”. He asks, putting more pressure on his wound.

“Neither." He says with disinterest.

They both remain silent.

Suddenly they hear the gunfire intensify, as if they were attacking someone else instead of looking for them. That was their signal to know that Batman had arrived.

“What were you doing there? Bruce sent you?" He asks with annoyance in his voice. He hated Batman meddling in his business.

“I found out that Black Mask had hired a group of hitmen to set you up, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing." He answers, but that answer wasn't enough for Jason.

“Bruce sent you?." He insisted again, he still had doubts if Batman was involved in this.

“I came on my own”.

Another silence falls between the two.

Jason can't help but feel confused, he and Dick had never been close the whole time they lived with Bruce, there was always some tension between them, Jason could even say they hated each other's guts, so the fact that Nightwing had come without Batman was unreal to him.

It was new to him.

“Do you remember when we lived together in Bruce's mansión?" Dick begins to say with a slight smile while holding back the pain, "One night you came to my room you thought it was yours, and as soon as you saw me sleeping on the bed you threw me off the mattress and we started to fight." He lets out a soft sigh, "Alfred had to separate us.”

Dick tries to stifle a slight laugh but frowns again because of the pain, but Jason only lets out a sigh when he hears him.

“We were never good roommates." He says remembering how often they fought over such silly things.

“We weren't that close for a reason." He agrees.

“You hated me" He replies, frowning at him, remembering when He once heard Dick fighting with Bruce for "replacing" him.

“I never hated you. I hated Bruce, you were just the straw that broke the camel's back." He clarifies throwing his head back while inhaling slowly.

“That doesn't make me feel any better.”

“I'm so sorry.”

Jason looks at him in mild astonishment.

This was the first time they were talking like normal people, or at least this was the most normal thing for him, even taking into account that they were both close to death.

Something very normal in his life as a watchman.

“Why did you hate Bruce?" He asked as He continued to listen to the gunshots. It was not so hard to guess that at any moment the shooting would stop and Batman would appear.

“A lot happened between us, and him getting a replacement for me infuriated me...but not so much when....”

“When what?" He interrupts him.

“When you died.”

That answer was definitely not expected.

Dick was not like he remembered him at all, the person he had in front of him was someone totally different. Since he revived it never crossed his mind that his death could have affected him too, not even when Nightwing was one of the first to try to help him when he was totally angry with Batman. This was something totally different for him.

“I always blamed Bruce for letting you die. I blamed myself for not being there. I raged at myself for not being there when you needed me." He says in a lower and lower voice but still Jason had heard him perfectly.

For a moment the shooting stops and Jason can guess that it's all over.

Turning his gaze to Nightwing He can see how Nightwing struggles to stay awake but finally gives in little by little. That alarms him.

“Hey, don't you dare close your eyes." He demands as He looks across the alley waiting for someone to appear. If necessary he would try to carry Dick again.

“Jason I..." He whispers barely audible as his breathing slowed.

“Dick, don't fall asleep." Jason says, shaking him lightly by the arm. “Dick!”

Despite calling his name, Dick doesn't respond and remains completely still in place. Jason immediately checks his pulse and a shiver runs down his spine as he feels nothing and watches as his eyes remain open but lifeless.

Regardless of the pain in his leg he fully crawls over to Dick taking him in his arms.

“No, no, no, no" He starts to say with some anger while trying to repress some tears, "Damn it, answer me Dick!.”

He clenches his teeth hard as he continued to hold Dick in his arms, at this very moment he could feel the rage taking over him, that same feeling he had when he came back and had tried to get revenge on Batman for letting him die.

But this time he felt it more intensely.

He hears footsteps behind him and doesn't bother to see who it was. He knew exactly who was there.

And he was late again.

While Jason was still holding Dick, he could feel Batman behind him.

* * *

The funeral had been torture for him.

Although he had wanted to avoid Bruce at all costs, he had decided to attend even for a moment, which had made him regret it the instant he got there.

Alfred had greeted him with a warm embrace but still couldn't hide his grief at the loss of Dick, but he still tried his best to stand firm. Jason didn't blame him, after all, he had some affection for the boy since Bruce had adopted him. For the butler it was like losing a son.

Bruce had a neutral expression, no emotion on his face. He didn't care and tried to stay away from him. He did not want to cross words with the watchman.

Dick's companions had also attended, Donna wept silently while the others had not shed a single tear for him. Something that kind of bothered Jason, he was sure that if one of them were in danger, Dick wouldn't hesitate to save their asses, but yet there they were, sitting there not lifting a finger. He hated to see them there.

The one who had certainly been affected by Dick's loss was Tim, the boy kept wiping his tears continuously as he avoided looking the others in the eye. Losing the one he considered his brother had really hurt. Jason couldn't help but put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him slightly. He felt his own pain, but he wouldn't allow himself to show it as he had already done with Bruce when he arrived in the alley where he was still holding Dick's lifeless body. He could not allow himself to show it again.

He looks slightly at the box and a thought crosses his mind. He was determined to do something about it, he wasn't going to let Dick die without getting his justice. Jason wasn't going to be like Batman when he let the Joker live when the clown murdered him. No, he was going to punish Black Mask for murdering Dick, and he was going to make sure of that.

He was going to avenge Dick himself.

* * *

"Donna?". He asks in surprise as he opens his door.

"Hi Jason." She replies with a friendly smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asks without hiding his slight astonishment.

"May I come in?" She asks politely.

Jason hesitates for a second but in the end decides to let her pass. It had been days since Dick's funeral and no one had bothered to visit him except for Alfred and Tim, Bruce he had avoided at all costs, but of Dick's friends, Donna had been the only one who had come to see him.

He was curious.

"Can I get you something?" He offers as he guides her into his living room.

"Water would be nice." She answers him kindly.

Jason nods and heads to his kitchen as he watches out of the corner of his eye as Donna sat on his couch. The two of them hadn't lived together much, only greeting each other out of politeness and when Dick was with them, so her visit confused him.

Why was she there?

Jason returns to Donna handing her a glass of water. "Here."

She thanks and drinks some water.

There was no need to talk to know that Donna was there because of Dick's death. What he wasn't sure about was why she had come to see him instead of Tim or Bruce.

"Why are you here?" He asks her breaking the silence between the two of them.

"I thought we both already knew." She replies looking at him.

Jason nods and decides to rephrase his question.

"Why did you come to see me?"

Donna sets her glass of water down on the small table in front of her.

"I thought you might need some support."

"Dick and and and we were never that close." He replies crossing his arms slightly.

"That doesn't mean you appreciated each other" She replies to her.

"Since when did fighting mean appreciation?" He answers her incredulously.

"Everyone has their own problems."

"Have you seen Tim?" He asks him changing the subject.

"Yes, I went to visit him yesterday." She replies looking slightly at the floor.

"How is he?" He questions, although she already knew the answer.

"Shattered." She says simply. "He misses him too much...just like you do." She confronts him.

"I'm totally fine" He lies. "Dick and I didn't get along well, so we didn't have a lot of memories together." He tells her.

"I know you were the last person to see him alive." Donna finally confesses.

Jason is speechless.

How did Donna know that, had Bruce told everyone, was Donna going to blame him for Dick's death?

At this point he felt like going and kicking Batman's ass.

"Jason..." Donna begins to speak when she saw that he wasn't saying anything. "I'm not here to judge you, I want to help."

"I don't need help."

"Did you say the same thing to Dick?".

Jason shuts up.

How dare Donna question him on that? She hadn't been there that night. She hadn't been in a tight spot not knowing what to do with a group of hitmen surrounding him, she hadn't watched Nightwing come to help him and end up dying in the end, she hadn't been in that alley watching Dick fade away in her arms.

He wasn't willing to listen anymore.

"Look Donna, I like you but I'm not in the mood for a lecture or a speech about why I'm a piece of shit who let the person I loved die." He says showing his anger with the intention of getting her out of his apartment.

"I apologize Jason, I didn't mean to offend you." She hurries to say in a calm voice.

"I don't give a shit, leave." He says heading to the door to open it for her.

"Dick loved you, Jason." Donna tells him with the intention of Jason stopping to listen to her.

"What?" He asks her, he wasn't sure what he had just heard.

"He always cared about you." She answers him getting up from her seat. "You were always the most important thing to him, even if he didn't tell you."

"Don't lie to me Donna, we both hated each other since we were living with Bruce." He reminded her even though Dick's words were still echoing in his head.

"Jason, I was there for him when you...died" She says in a soft, cautious voice. "There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't regret not treating you better and you dying tore him apart as well as his relationship with Bruce." She confesses to him.

Memories of that night came back to him, Dick's confession, his last words...despite what Dick had told him, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He felt as if he had been the collateral damage.

"Because of me he stopped being Robin." He says finally as if trying to convince himself.

Donna moves a little closer to him, looking for their eyes to make contact.

"Dick didn't give up being Robin...he just realized he could help more by being Nightwing. He was always firm in his decisions, he never did one thing he didn't want to do." She states.

Jason lets out a sigh. They still had a lot of things they should have worked out, but every time Dick would try to get close, he would push him away trying not to relate to him, holding on to the past and preventing anything from coming up between the two of them.

Right now he would give anything to see Dick again.

"I know you don't say it but you blame yourself for his death." She tells him and slowly approaches him. "When Dick found out Black Mask was after you, he didn't hesitate for a moment to go to you for help. It was his choice, Jason...it wasn't your fault."

That was a lie.

His stubbornness had gotten him into trouble from the beginning, he had even come to wonder what would have happened if instead of going on his "mission", he had gone with Dick or just accepted his help. Would the mission have been successful? Would those dealers have gotten away with it? Would he and Dick have become closer?

That was something he would never know. Unless he did something about it.

Another plan was being formulated.

Donna receiving no response puts a hand on his shoulder giving him a slight smile.

"I know this is a hard thing to accept, Jason," she tells him. "But no one is to blame here, so stop blaming yourself and move on. I know it's harder said than done but you're not alone. Believe it or not, you can count on my support, or Alfred's...or."

"I'm not going with Bruce." He interrupts her.

"Don't, but don't face this alone either...Dick had me when your death happened, I can be there for you too..."

Jason is silent. On one hand he was slightly grateful for Donna's support, but on the other hand he knew that if he told her what he was planning right now she wouldn't help him. No one in their right mind would.

He would have to do this alone.

"I have to go, if you need anything feel free to call me." Donna says starting to walk towards the door as she looks sideways at Jason.

Before she could leave, Jason just gives her a slight nod and a barely audible "Thank you."

Now that he was alone again he had to put his plan into action.

* * *

_“Do you have plans tonight?”._

**Jason raises his head at the sound of Dick's voice.**

_" Didn't you have anyone else to bother?."_ **He asks somewhat annoyed.**

_“Are you busy?”_ **He asks again.**

_“What do you want, circus guy?”._ **He asks, crossing his arms.**

**It hadn't been that long since he had forgotten his plan to get revenge on Batman, finally the two had made a peace deal even though they would no longer work together.**

**But that hadn't stopped Dick from looking for him anymore.**

**Lately, Dick had been looking for ways to get closer to him, even though he had rejected the idea of working together, he just didn't seem to understand.**

**That bothered him.**

_"There's a new movie theater and I thought you could go together to see it."_ **He explains sitting across from him.**

**Jason for a moment thinks about kicking him but finding himself inside a coffee shop surrounded by people he decides to suck it up. He didn't want to make a fuss.**

_"And why do you think I would want to go with you?"_. **Jason asks going back to looking at his laptop ignoring Dick.**

_"It seemed like a good opportunity for us to spend time together."_ **He replies with a smile even though Jason was avoiding looking at him.**

_"Tim told you no?"_. **He says without taking his eyes off his laptop.**

_"Come on Jason, it'll be just a movie, I'll pay."_ **He winks at him.**

**Jason lets out a sigh and looks back at Dick, why was he harping on him more than usual.**

_"Dick, I'm not interested in wasting my time watching a movie with you."_ **he finally replies.** _"I have more important things to do, so go away."_

_"It doesn't have to be a movie, we can go to dinner at some restaurant."_ **He urges him again.**

_"I'm not going anywhere with you, circus guy."_

_"How about...?"_ **Jason interrupts him.**

_"Dick, I don't know what you're up to but if you don't get your ass away from me, I'll beat you here even if there are people."_ **He threatens him already annoyed and clenching his fist slightly.**

" _You don't have to be mad Jay, I know we had problems before but that's in the past, we can try to be friends."_ **Replies Dick calmly despite Jason's threat.**

**Jason stands still for a moment, since when did Dick want to be friends with him?**

_"Look Dick, if you think dating me now is going to fix everything you did in the past, fuck off. "_ **He says annoyed.** _"I'm not going to accompany you to the movies to make you feel better and pretend everything is fine between us. I don't want your pity."_

**Jason at that moment closes the laptop and starts to put it in his backpack. He had no intention of listening to Grayson anymore.**

**Dick is silent for a moment before he lets out a sigh and begins to speak.**

_"I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Jason."_

_"Save your words."_ **He replies taking his things and getting up.**

**As much as he wanted to treat Dick with indifference and contempt for the problems they had had earlier, another part of him had regretted how he had treated him and declining his invitation, but he had a very important mission he had been planning for months and only tonight would he get his chance.**

**Maybe later he could talk to Grayson.**

**Before he was completely away from the table, he managed to hear Dick say a few words.**

_"Good luck in port, anything you need, call me."_

**Jason stands for a moment in place and watches him out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help some anger at hearing him say that, but instead of bothering to ask him how he found out he decides to go on his way.**

**"I don't need you" He tells him before walking out of the cafeteria ignoring his look.**

* * *

He wipes the sweat from his brow and continues his work, he couldn't afford to rest when he was so close now.

Nothing could stop him.

It had been a week since Dick's death and it felt like it had been an eternity, it was as if time had moved faster than normal so he acted as if at any moment his chance would be gone. Although in part he was sure it was.

Plus he was frustrated because these days he had had to avoid every person who came near him, with the exception of Tim and Alfred. He had lost count of how many times he had had to shoo away Dick's companions who were going to offer their condolences. He had even avoided calls from Roy, who had heard the news and had tried to contact him.

He avoided it.

He still remembered Donna's visit and as hard as he tried, her words kept echoing in his head. He had not seen her since that day.

_"Dick loved you."_ It was a voice he couldn't stop hearing.

He took that as his main motivation and when he put his whole plan together he refused to back down. If anyone found out about this, they would take him for a madman and wouldn't hesitate to lock him up in Arkham or anywhere else. he knew no one would understand why he was doing this. Not even Donna.

"I'm not leaving you here, circus guy." He whispers seeing out of the corner of his eye the tombstone with the name **_"Dick Grayson"_ **on it.

He was already so close that he felt he could not stop even for a second, besides he had no time to lose, he knew that at any moment the news of Black Mask's brutal death would come out and he was absolutely sure that Batman would not take long to link it to him, so he had to hurry if he wanted his plan to go perfectly this time.

It wasn't long before the shovel finally came across the coffin. He formed a slight smile and set the shovel aside. He knew Bruce would never approve of this, but unlike him, Jason wasn't willing to let him die. Even if it meant going back to the Lazarus Pit.


End file.
